Historic preservation will be the focus of the May meeting of the History and Heritage Book Club.
Guest speaker Jay D. Vogt of Pierre will discuss the book “Picturing the Past” at 7 p.m. CDT on Thursday, May 13. It is a coffee-table book featuring black-and-white photos taken by Scott Myers of historic places in South Dakota, with essays by Vogt and Stephen C. Rogers, a past director of the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office.
“The stunning photographs that illustrate ‘Picturing the Past’ demonstrate that history happens everywhere. They show the value of historic preservation,” said Catherine Forsch, the chief executive officer of the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation. The foundation is the nonprofit partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society. The foundation and the South Dakota Historical Society Press are sponsoring the program.
Vogt started working for the South Dakota State Historical Society in 1987 and became its director in 2003. He was appointed State Historic Preservation Officer in 1996. Vogt retired from both positions in December 2020.
“Picturing the Past” was first published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press in 2006 and was reprinted in 2020. Vogt wrote a new afterward for the new edition, describing what has happened in historic preservation since the book was first published.
Vogt will be speaking in person in the Jay D. Vogt Education Room at the Cultural Heritage Center. Everyone is welcome to participate, either in person at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre or virtually via Zoom. People must register at sdhsf.org to attend in person or to receive the Zoom link. Attendance at the Cultural Heritage Center is limited to 15 people.
In addition to discussing the book during the May 13 program, Vogt will talk about historic preservation and properties on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Picturing the Past” is sold at the Heritage Stores at the Cultural Heritage Center and the Capitol.
For more information about the program, please call Dorinda Daniel at 605-773-6006. For information about membership in the State Historical Society, call Jeff Mammenga at 605-773-6000 or visit history.sd.gov/membership.
About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution since 2013, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing, and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.
About the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation
The South Dakota Historical Society Foundation is a private charitable nonprofit that seeks funding to assist the South Dakota State Historical Society in programming and projects to preserve South Dakota’s history and heritage for future generations.
